A rally to protest mob lynchings was taken out in Surat on July 5. The agitation, however, turned violence and mob began pelting stones.

A video shared by several social media users shows a mob vandalising a public bus by smashing its windows with bricks. It is being claimed that the incident occurred in Mumbai when an auto driver, angered with the recent fare drop for BEST buses running between BKC and station, wrecked a bus after Friday’s Namaaz.

Another caption used to share the video says – “Oppose of bus route started to Bandra to BKC by group of Muslim Rikshawala’s running share Riksha on that route.” The same has been posted on Twitter as well.

Oppose of bus route started to Bandra to BKC by group of Muslim Rikshawala’s running share Riksha on that route

Video from Gujarat

Alt News closely analysed the video and found that the incident took place in Surat, Gujarat and not Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The word ‘SITILINK’ is imprinted on the side of the bus. SITILINK stands for Surat Bus Rapid Transit System, which is an integrated public bus transportation system that runs only in Surat.

The second clue was the number plate of the bus. A faint ‘GJ 05’ is visible at numerous points in the video. GJ 05 is the RTO vehicle registration code for Surat.

When we looked for related videos on YouTube with the keyword ‘stone-pelting bus surat’, we found one shot at the same location and uploaded by Surat-based Divang News Channel. This clip showed scenes in the aftermath of the attack. The video was titled, “Surat: Police fire tear gas shells as rally against mob lynching incidents turns violent.”

TV9 Gujaratialso reported the incident. A rally to protest mob lynchings was taken out in Surat on July 5. The agitation, however, turned violence and mob began pelting stones. The Times of Indiareported, “A section of [the] crowd went berserk when the rally participants were not allowed to go beyond Makkai Pool to submit a memorandum to [the] district collector. According to the report, two buses were attacked. “The mob targeted a city bus near Take Off restaurant and broke its window panes and the other at another place,” it said.

Forty people have been reportedly arrested for perpetrating the violence.

An incident of mob violence that occurred in Surat, Gujarat was falsely shared on social media as Muslim auto drivers protesting the recent ticket price drop for BEST buses in Mumbai.